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Stanford caps four-year turnaround with title

2015 Division I Men’s Soccer

Stanford’s Jordan Morris (13) celebrates one of his two goals in the national championship against Clemson. MIKE GUNNOE / NCAA PHOTOS

The Results

CHAMPIONSHIP

Stanford 4, Clemson 0

SEMIFINALS

Stanford 0, Akron 0 (Stanford wins 8-7 on penalty kicks)

Clemson 0, Syracuse 0 (Clemson wins 4-1 on penalty kicks)

ELITE 90 HONOREE

Tyler Sanda, Akron

When Jeremy Gunn was hired to coach the Stanford University men’s soccer team in 2011, he inherited a squad coming off a 6-10-2 season. Fast-forward four years, and Stanford is a national champion.

The team’s convincing 4-0 victory over Clemson University on Dec. 13 in Kansas City, Kansas, gave the Cardinal its first national title in men’s soccer. Stanford junior forward Jordan Morris scored two goals in the championship match.

Gunn guided the Cardinal to a 10-win season in 2013 and followed that up with a 13-win campaign in 2014. This year, Stanford went 18-2-3 and set a standard for future Cardinal teams.

“We get to be with these guys through the recruiting process from when they are 16 all the way through their college careers,” Gunn said. “That’s the unique and exciting thing. You look at guys who were out there on the field, and they were absolute studs. A couple of them, when they arrived, were just young freshmen wondering if they’d ever make it. The whole experience, the whole journey is what’s special.”